Rectangular drilling for earth excavation

ABSTRACT

A drilling machine for forming a vertical hole having an oblong and somewhat rectangular horizontal cross section in the earth, comprising a supporting frame housing a driving means which drives a horizontally arranged auger which is supported by the supporting means and comprises two spiral screw threads coaxially arranged and completely symmetrically formed with respect to each other. The supporting means supports a soil-sucking pipe means at its bisected branches arranged over both extremities of the auger and is provided with bits under the branches, respectively.

United States Patent RECTANGULAR DRILLING FOR EARTH EXCAVATION References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,923,537 2/1960 Wilcox 175/91 X 3,288,536 11/1966 Galis et al.. 175/91 X 3,406,767 10/1968 Watts 175/91 X 3,473,243 10/1969 Turner 175/91 X 3,509,949 5/1970 Kukihara 175/91 X FOREIGN PATENTS 875,489 5/1953 Germany 175/91 Primary Examiner-David H. Brown Attorney-George B. Oujevolk ABSTRACT: A drilling machine for forming a vertical hole having an oblong and somewhat rectangular horizontal cross section in the earth, comprising a supporting frame housing a driving means which drives a horizontally arranged auger which is supported by the supporting means and comprises two spiral screw threads coaxially arranged and completely symmetrically formed with respect to each other. The supporting means supports a soil-sucking pipe means at its bisected branches arranged over both extremities of the auger and is provided with bits under the branches, respectively.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 175/91, 175/108, 175/213 Int. Cl ..E2Ib 11/00, E2ib 7/00 Field of Search 175/91, 108,203, 213, 326

1 it 1 V l 1 l3 l5 PATENTEU [JET l 2197i ATTORNEY PATENTEI] 0m 1 2 IHYI sum 2 0r 2 FIG. 2

ATTORNEY RECTANGULAR DRILLING FOR EARTH EXCAVATION This invention relates to a drilling machine for earth excavation for forming an oblong and somewhat rectangular-shaped excavation, and particularly for forming a subsurface continuous footing for a steel or a reinforced concrete construction by working on the ground level.

Heretofore, such drilling machines as the ICOS drilling machine and the earth-augering machine have been well known for forming a subsurface continuous footing by working on the ground level. However, the length of the major side of the oblong aperture is limited for one operation due to the construction of the clamshell bucket type of the ICOS drilling machine and it is impossible to excavate continuously due to the soil-expelling manner of lifting and subsiding the drilling machine. The earth-augering machine forms a series of round vertical overlapping holes one after another, so that the wall of the resultant oblong excavation is not provided with smooth surfaces which do not facilitate the forming of a subsurface continuous footing but require the excavation to be reworked into a smooth surface by another machine. In addition, it is necessary to displace the earth-angering machine frequently for an operation which results in a waste of time. In conclusion, these well-known machines of the class described are provided with means for excavating soil vertically.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a drilling machine of the class described overcoming the above-mentioned drawbacks. The drilling machine constructed in accordance with this invention is capable of forming a subsurface oblong and somewhat rectangular vertical hole continuously and quickly, the major side of the rectangle being longer than that formed bv the well-known machines in accordance with prior art.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drilling machine of the class described, which forms a smooth wall of the resultant oblong, somewhat rectangular hole by virtue of the horizontal arrangement of the auger.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a drilling machine of the class described, which additionally include a pair of bits for forming a pair of pits arranged on the minor sides of the oblong and somewhat rectangular configuration before the hole is formedso as to provide to receive the debris formed by angering and to deliver the same to a soil-sucking pipe means for facilitating the continuous and effective operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide adrilling machine of the class described, which gathers excavated soil on both minor sides of the oblong and somewhat rectangular hole by virtue of symmetrically spiral screw threads of the auger.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a drilling machine of the class described, having a pair of soil-sucking pipe means arranged on both minor sides of the machine so as to expel the excavated soil gathered on the sides.

Another further object of this invention is to provide a drilling machine of the class described, in which an excavating mechanism is supported by the soil-sucking pipe means so as to compact the machine as a whole.

And yet a further object of this invention is to provide a drilling machine of the class described, in which a driving means is housed in a supporting frame so as to protect the former.

And yet another further object of this invention is to provide a drilling machine of the class described, in which a plurality of cutters are arranged on and detachably fixed to the spiral screw threads so as to vary the length of the minor side of the rectangle.

Briefly stated in accordance with one aspect of this invention, there is provided a drilling machine for earth excavation comprising a supporting frame having a driving means and supporting an excavating mechanism comprising a horizontally arranged auger, and a soil-sucking pipe means for expclling soil and sand excavated by the excavating mechanism. The auger comprises two spiral screw threads coaxially arranged and symmetrically formed with each other. The soilsucking pipe means is bisected into two branches arranged over both extremities of the auger. A pair of bits adapted to drill earth vertically are arranged under the branches, respectively. The soil excavated by the excavating mechanism is gathered in a pair of pits formed by operating the pair of bits, by virtue of the symmetrical shape of the auger, and from these pits it is expelled out of the machine by the soil-sucking pipe means. It is possible to change cutters arranged on and fixed to the spiral screw threads of the auger so as to vary the length of the minor side of the oblong hole.

The invention will be better understood and other objects and additional advantages of the invention will become apparent upon perusal of the following description taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a front elevational view with parts shown in vertically sectional view of a drilling machine embodying this invention in an operating state;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the auger taken along the line AA of Fig. l.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the three views. Referring more particularly Athe drawings, the preferred embodiment of this invention will now be described; however, this description will be understood to be illustrative of the invention and not as limiting it to the particular construction as shown and described. There is a double-housing type supporting frame 6 comprising two vertical tubular members 7 and a central horizontal tubular member 8 arranged between and integral with them. A driving means such as an electric motor 9 is housed inside the horizontal tubular member 8. A spindle 3 is rotatably journaled at both axial ends thereof by the walls of the vertical tubular members 7 and arranged horizontally. An auger 4 is integrally mounted on the spindle 3 and provided with a pair of spiral screw threads I and 2 arranged coaxially and formed symmetrically with each other. A plurality of cutters 5 are detachably fixed on the screw threads I and 2 in such a manner that the tips of these cutters 5 protrude partly outside the peripheries of the screw threads I and 2.

The spindle 3 is driven by the electric motor 9 intermediate a train of reduction gearings 10 arranged inside one of the two vertical tubular members 7.

The vertical tubular members 7 are vertically penetrated by branches ll of a soil-sucking pipe means 12 and fixed thereto, in such a manner and construction that the whole machine is suspended by the soil-sucking pipe means 12. To this end, the branches 11 have hangers 17, respectively. A rotatable sleeve 14 is rotably mounted on the lowermost part of the branch ll, of which the top is secured to a bevel gear 15 arranged coaxially thereto, which is in mesh with a bevel gear 13 fixedly mounted on the extremity of the spindle 3 within the vertical tubular member 7. The bottom of the rotatable sleeve 14 is vertically extended out of the vertical tubular member 7 together with the extremity of the branch 11. A bit 16 is fixed to the lowermost extremity of the sleeve 14 in such a manner that the opening in the lowermost end of the branch II is not substantially obstructed by the bit 16. It is to be noted that the bits 16 are positioned somewhat lower than the outer periphery of the spiral screw threads 1 and 2.

In operation, the drilling machine is hung from a suitable tower (not shown) by ropes fastened with a pair of eyes 17 provided on the branches 11 and lowered on the ground level. The motor 9 is energized so that the auger 4 is rotated intermediate the train of reduction gearing 10 and the bits 16 is rotated intermediate bevel gears 13 and 14 and the sleeve 14. A pair of pits 16 are at first formed by the action of the pair of bits 16 so as to lower the machine further, and therefore, the cutters 5 of the auger 4 is brought into contact with the ground level, while the soil and sand dug by the bits 16 is sucked by a suitable means (not shown) through the soil-sucking pipe means 12 and the pair of its branches II. After the auger 4 is lowered down to the ground level, the digging of a rectangular hole 19 begins under the auger 4-so as to form a trough-shaped recess having a semicircular radial cross section, which is gradually deepened into an oblong, somewhat rectangular hole 19. The debris formed in accordance with the digging operation is divided into two parts at the center of the hole 19 and each part thereof is transferred into the pit 18 by the action of the coaxially arranged and opposite formed spiral screw threads 1 and 2, from there sucked into the soil-sucking pipe means 11 and 12. If necessary, water may be supplied into the hole 19 for facilitating the digging and sucking operations.

After the auger 4 has arrived at a predetermined subsurface level, the machine is lifted by the ropes up to the original height and shifted along the major side of the oblong hole to an adjoining position where the same digging operation is repeated so as to form the next oblong hole, of which one of two pits overlaps one of the two pits 18 of the preceding operation. Thus the oblong hole 19 is joined to the preceding one, forming a horizontally elongated substantially rectangular hole, in which reinforcement is arranged and concrete is placed so as to form a footing as usual.

While a particular embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described, modifications thereof will readily occur to those skilled in the art. it should be understood there fore that the invention is not limited to the particular construction disclosed but that the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications which do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An excavation-forming machine, comprising in combination:

a. a pair of spaced-apart vertical tubular members (7) with the lower ends disposed for soil suction and upper soil suction pipe means (12) connected to said vertical tubular members;

b. a horizontally disposed auger (4) between said vertical tubular members towards said lower ends, including two coaxially disposed symmetrical screw threads in opposite phase;

c. bits (16) on the outer ends of said pair of tubular members; and,

d. drive means (9) connected to said auger (4) and bits 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, including an upper horizontal tubular member (8) between said pair of vertical tubular members housing a drive motor of said drive means (9) therein.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, including a pair of tubular branches (11) coupled to the upper ends of said vertical tu' bular member, said branches being centrally connected forming a central joint for suspension of said machine.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, said drive means including bevel gearing (l3, 15) at said vertical tubular members lower ends for driving said bits 

1. An excavation-forming machine, comprising in combination: a. a pair of spaced-apart vertical tubular members (7) with the lower ends disposed for soil suction and upper soil suction pipe means (12) connected to said vertical tubular members; b. a horizontally disposed auger (4) between said vertical tubular members towards said lower ends, including two coaxially disposed symmetrical screw threads in opposite phase; c. bits (16) on the outer ends of said pair of tubular members; and, d. drive means (9) connected to said auger (4) and bits (16).
 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, including an upper horizontal tubular member (8) between said pair of vertical tubular members housing a drive motor of said drive means (9) therein.
 3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, including a pair of tubular branches (11) coupled to the upper ends of said vertical tubular member, said branches being centrally connected forming a central joint for suspension of said machine.
 4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, said drive means including bevel gearing (13, 15) at said vertical tubular members lower ends for driving said bits . 